Emicida: 'People Sample What Is Nearest To Them' — npr.org

At 28, Emicida is a curious mix of rebel and poet — and one of the biggest hip-hop acts in Brazil. He was born Leandro Roque de Oliveira in the poor urban north of Sao Paulo, Brazil's vast, teeming economic capital. He says he grew up disadvantaged and black, and that he saw firsthand the racism and inequality that he says defines Brazil. "Taking a position is always important," Emicida says, "especially in a country like ours, where people many times don't take a stand, and they allow important political moments to pass without notice, as if they didn't happen. But it has to be organic. It can't be a marketing strategy."

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